An alternative slogan if you don't like that one: Someone has to win this crappy division(from alnorth)

With the beginning of a new year, it is time for the 2012 version of the Royals Repository Thread. We've got Hosmer, we've got a 2011-dominating Gordon, we've got Moose, we've got hopefully a killer bullpen, we've got a stereotypical slow slugging DH, we've got easily one of the best defensive shortstops in the AL, we've got a promising catcher in Salvador Perez. Hell, we've got offense and promising prospects galore.

We do not have starting pitching.

Oh yeah, we've also got this:

Get ready for, (as of January 2012 anyway), one of the most confusing puzzles of a baseball season in recent Royals history. Will they suck? Maybe, I don't know. Will we be given a year of 0.500 baseball? Possibly, I don't know. Will they win the division and go to the playoffs for the first time in 27 years? For the first time in a long time, it could happen, I don't know. 92 losses, 92 wins, or anything in between would not surprise a lot of us.

Everything goes here except Gameday threads and really big news. If a giant story breaks, the Royals achieve some awesome milestone, or we sign/lose a highly significant player/coach/mascot/whatever, then it might also deserve its own thread. This being Chiefs Planet, please do not clutter the board with new threads about trivial Royals news or you will only annoy those who come here for just Chiefs football. If you aren't sure and its not a Gameday thread, it goes here.

What sort of stuff often goes here? SPchief explained it well, so I'll just copy that:

Quote:

If you locate something of interest.. ANYTHING.. deals on apparel, best ways in/out of the stadium, giveaways, great stories from this season or from seasons gone by, rumors, trades, anything.... feel free to post it here.

From today's KC Star. Don't get too excited, David Glass is still a cheap bastard:

Royals’ payroll pinch tighter than previously believed

By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Royals owner David Glass created a stir recently in revealing $70 million to be the budgeted break-even point for the club’s 2013 payroll.

Well, the financial pinch is a lot tighter than initially believed.

That $70 million includes far more than salaries allocated to the 25-man roster for opening day. Club officials say it encompasses the entire 40-man roster and also includes the signing bonus limits for the draft and international spending.

That reduces the break-even point for the 25-man roster – the figure generally used for comparison purposes in public discussions – to roughly $57 million. The draft and international limits under the new labor agreement comprise about $10 million.

It also means, as things currently stand, the Royals are already over budget since the projected payroll for their 25-man roster is roughly $65 million.

Glass expressed willingness to subsidize the payroll at a moderate level, which he said he has often done in the past, but the numbers explain why general manager Dayton Moore believes any further payroll additions will likely require corresponding cuts.

“I’ve always been willing to spend whatever cash we’ve generated on payroll,” Glass said, “and I’ve even been willing to subsidize it under conditions where we have an opportunity to be competitive in our division. I’ve never changed from that.”

While top club officials, present and past, affirm Glass’ contention that he doesn’t pocket an operating profit, those assertions are a stark contrast to figures published by Forbes magazine, which contend Glass made about $100 million from 2000-11.

Major League Baseball has long contended the Forbes figures, which are calculated without access to club financial statements, are wildly inaccurate.

“Mr. Glass has gone above and beyond,” Moore said, “in supporting our team in everything we’ve wanted to do internationally, through the draft and in building and improving our major-league payroll. He’s been extremely supportive.

“We’ve signed virtually every single player who we’ve identified as being worthy of a long-term contract. Does he ask tough questions? Yeah, but there’s not anybody I’ve ever met who is more passionate or a better historian of the game. He owns a major-league team for all of the right reasons.”

Frenchy... there's a big pile of wasted money, too. We paid him $6MM for -1.1 WAR of "production" last year, and we'll be paying him $7.5MM this season. Replacing him with Myers would be a big swing in expected wins (perhaps 3 or even 4 full games) and save a hell of a lot of money.

__________________
<ptp> how many emo kids does it take to change a lightbulb?
<Willy> HOW MANY?!
<ptp> none they just sit in the dark and cry

Frenchy... there's a big pile of wasted money, too. We paid him $6MM for -1.1 WAR of "production" last year, and we'll be paying him $7.5MM this season. Replacing him with Myers would be a big swing in expected wins (perhaps 3 or even 4 full games) and save a hell of a lot of money.

Why? We have Jake Odorizzi ready and I think he'll be a serviceable pitcher for almost no salary. I would bet he would go 7-10 with a 5 era. McCarthy would likely do better than that, but (1) by how much, and (2) for how many starts? Guy misses half his games every year.